Police officer Chen Shu

Chapter 556 Investigation and Visits
In Dongzhou, a civilized city known for its safety, such a brutal case has occurred, and the victim is a woman, drawing great attention from public opinion and higher authorities.

As usual, Nie Chaofan and his team conducted extensive investigations and interviews at the scene, but they did not find even the slightest clue.

meeting room.

Nie Chaofan stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray with a gloomy face, staring at the interrogation room surveillance video on the wall without saying a word.

Xiao Ma shook a piece of paper with fingerprints on it and said, "Detective Nie, Zhao Zhiguo doesn't look like a criminal suspect. Could there be a mistake?"

Nie Chaofan stared intently at the monitor and said quickly, "Zhao Zhiguo spent several years in prison. People like him have extremely strong counter-surveillance capabilities; he's not as simple as you think. I've seen his criminal record; he was caught causing trouble, and it was because of a woman."

After hesitating for a long time, Xiao Ma said, "Zhao Hui also seems to know nothing about this. I have a feeling that these two..."

Nie Chaofan thought for a moment and said in a deep voice, "Old Cao and the others judged Wang Xia's time of death to be between 23:30 pm and 1 am based on the stomach contents, but both of their statements said that they parted ways with Wang Xia after 2 am. These two must have lied! Zhao Hui, hehe, he's probably a scoundrel too."

Could it be that Lao Cao made a mistake? Forensic medicine seems quite mysterious, and I always feel that it can only be used as a reference. A thought flashed through Xiao Ma's mind, but he didn't question his colleague at all.

Between a criminal suspect with a criminal record and a hardworking colleague who stays up all night, Xiao Ma naturally trusts the latter.

“Detective Nie, although Wang Xia’s hymen showed fresh signs of tearing, there was no gold liquid inside; the DNA in her fingernails also did not match Zhao Zhiguo and Zhao Hui. Could it have happened after Wang Xia and Zhao Zhiguo separated?”

Nie Chaofan narrowed his eyes and slowly said, "Wang Xia's body was thrown into the ditch. After being washed away by the river in the middle of the night, all the things you mentioned must have been washed away."

Xiao Ma's face flushed red. Ignoring the fact that the old detective in front of him was his highly respected mentor whom he had followed since graduation, he argued loudly, "Since you say that it was all washed away by the rain, then why was it possible to extract the third party's DNA from Wang Xia's eight fingernails!"

“Detective Nie, what you’ve said are all our speculations. This is circumstantial evidence; a confession alone cannot convict someone! I still maintain that Wang Xia encountered the person whose DNA she found under her fingernails on the street after separating from Zhao Zhiguo and Zhao Hui! And this person is the one we should be focusing our investigation on!”

Nie Chaofan pointed to a purplish-red backpack on the table: "It was found by the public about eight kilometers away from the body dumping site. Inside were Wang Xia's ID card, women's leather shoes, and a makeup box. The two places are so far apart, which means they must have been driving a car."

Xiao Ma stepped forward, stubbornly insisting, "Maybe this third party is also driving!"

"enough!"

Nie Chaofan slammed his hand on the table.

After a long silence, his face contorted with rage, he slowly uttered each word: "This is Wang Xia's first time in Dongzhou, and in such a remote corner with hardly anyone around and not a single surveillance camera. What if this turns out to be a random murder? I ask you, what are you going to do next with this case?"

Criminal investigations rely on two things: physical evidence, such as bloodstains, murder weapons, fingerprints, DNA, and eyewitness accounts; and psychological evidence, which involves analyzing the criminal's mindset to determine their motives and whereabouts.

Especially in the early years, when science and technology had not yet reached a certain level of practicality, police investigations of murder cases were mainly based on motives, investigating relatives, friends, creditors, those with emotional entanglements, and those with economic disputes, repeatedly going through this group of people.

Random killings without motive are the most difficult to solve.

Most of the unsolved cases and cold cases over the years are of this type.

The murder of Wang Xia has attracted so much attention from society and the entire nation that even though some experienced criminal police officers are aware of the suspicious circumstances surrounding the case, no one dares to suggest that it was a random killing and has temporarily shelved the case.

After all, Nie Chaofan was in charge of the case, so he was the one who had to bring it up.

Seeing that Xiao Ma had quieted down and stopped arguing, Nie Chaofan advised him, and also comforted himself, "Take it slow, we still have time."

Xiao Ma gritted his teeth and said, "Detective Nie, it's a four-hour journey, so hurry back. I want to take some people to Wang Xia and Zhao Zhiguo's hometown." Twenty years ago, investigation and visits were the primary method for solving cases.

Nie Chaofan couldn't bear to refuse, and also left a sliver of hope: "Okay."

With the typical drive of a young man, Xiao Ma called on the auxiliary police officer in charge of driving for his team, and they drove to Ontario overnight. During a break in the journey, Xiao Ma ate a few bites of food in the car and then forced himself to close his eyes and fall asleep.

……

What does it mean to be indifferent to human relationships?

When a living person dies, everything around them seems unchanged. The village is still the same village, the neighbors are still the same neighbors, and the relatives, friends, and classmates are still the same relatives, friends, and classmates.

Farm when you should farm, work when you should work, and study when you should study.

Aside from the initial shock and sadness, it will probably be submerged in the monotony of daily life.

Even more surprisingly, Wang Xia's father was packing his luggage when Xiao Ma just walked in the door, and when asked, it turned out he was preparing to go south to work.

"There are still two children to raise." Father Wang didn't dare look Xiao Ma in the eye, but he made his point clear.

On the way to Zhao Zhi's house, Xiao Ma sat in the car watching the tall, lush poplar leaves swaying in the wind, and the indifferent expressions of the people riding bicycles along the road. Suddenly, he felt a little lonely. These people seemed to be intertwined with Wang Xia, yet in reality, they were so clearly separated.

Aside from the police officers handling the case, who else would care about her?

The little girl whose face was covered by a vest, half-naked, lying in the ditch.

Cold.

Everyone was so agitated when the incident happened. There was public condemnation, and leaders within the system were paying attention. The mother who came to identify the body was also crying uncontrollably.

But perhaps soon enough, even if the case remains unsolved, Wang Xia will be forgotten. Everyone says life is precious, but in Xiao Ma's eyes at this moment, doesn't it seem a little too cheap?
The usually energetic little horse could only force itself to stay alert.

He and she were complete strangers, yet as a police officer, he cared more about the cause of her death than anyone else.

She is dead, but he wants to give her an explanation.

The ideal was beautiful, but the result was cruel.

As Xiao Ma stood helplessly in Zhao Zhiguo's empty, dilapidated old house, clutching a half-knitted baby vest, he felt extremely uncomfortable.

But the case must continue.

"Detective Nie, after visiting the area around Zhao Zhiguo's hometown, everyone there said he was an honest man. They didn't believe Zhao Zhiguo would commit such a crime as murdering a woman. However, I collected a lot of DNA from men who might have had contact with Wang Xia before her death, and I'll compare it when I get back."

After sending a WeChat message to Nie Chaofan, Xiao Ma clutched the bag of DNA samples he had just collected, got into his car, and drove back overnight.

(End of this chapter)